Queen Murphy Bed

Through both time and culture many are the instances where the bed was not a permanent, stand-alone piece of furniture. From the 20^th century minimalist roll-up futons to the 17^th century Dutch sleeping cupboards to the American Indian blanket, these beds were not in the way during the day. Whether William L. Murphy really designed his bed to disappear in order to avoid the impropriety of bringing a lady to his small San Francisco apartment might be debatable, but it's function of saving space certainly is not.

This particular bed allowed an office to double as a guest room. I used Create-A-Bed hardware, which was well-machined, operated perfectly the first time, and in no way utilized Murphy's Law. I took some liberties with their plans, however, such as making the bed header (top) assembly a single finished piece of woodwork that required no crown molding. This simplifies both assembly and disassembly but requires strict adherence to the plan dimensions. The kickboard is not shown but screws onto the sides at the base thus avoiding the use of a nailed-on baseboard. C.A.B., Inc. makes their own hinges which allow two of the pull blocks to not only rotate into legs but also cleverly release the safety latches at the top.

Interestingly, as of 1989, the name Murphy Bed is no longer proprietary and has entered our language as a common word to describe any pull-down or wall bed, making Mr. Murphy just as famous as Mr. Kleenex.

Singular wooden ware + hand carved teaspoons at: FlyingCircusStudios.Etsy.com